Teacher left bloodied in classroom beating, Georgia school says. Student to be charged
A student accused of assaulting a teacher in a classroom attack caught on video will face charges, Georgia school officials said.
Discovery High School Principal Marci Sledge condemned the incident in a letter to parents following the incident Tuesday, Nov. 29, WAGA reported. The attack occurred just before noon during a class change at the Lawrenceville school.
“I want to reassure you, we are taking this situation very seriously,” Sledge wrote, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Using physical violence to attack students and/or staff will not be tolerated at our school. It is not only against our school disciplinary policy, it is against the law.”
The student, who was not named, is expected to face criminal charges as well as disciplinary action by the school, Sledge said, though she didn’t elaborate.
McClatchy News reached out to Discovery High School for comment on Thursday and was awaiting a response.
Part of the incident was filmed by fellow students and posted on social media. In her letter, Sledge lauded a student who stepped in to try to stop the assault.
The wife of the teacher who was hurt told WSB-TV that her husband met with the student’s parents the day before the incident to discuss his “poor performance in class.” She said the attack left him with a bloody mouth and head injuries.
“I just want the students and the teachers to be safe, because my husband signed up to be a teacher,” she said, according to the station. “He loves his job.”
The incident comes amid mounting criticism from parents over changes to the district’s disciplinary policies and an uptick in violent incidents at Gwinnett County Schools, the AJC reported. District wide, fights have increased 35% compared to last year, and instances of weapons on campus are also up, according to WXIA, citing officials.
In October, a Norcross High School student was fatally shot near campus, WAGA reported.
Lawrenceville is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Teacher left bloodied in classroom beating, Georgia school says. Student to be charged."